Ingredient Spotlight: Guar Gum
You might not realize it, but you’ve probably come in contact with things containing guar gum on more than a few occasions. While guar gum is still somewhat unfamiliar to many consumers, this ingredient’s remarkable flexibility as a stabilizing and thickening agent has allowed it to make impressive inroads in a range of industries. If projections hold, the trend is bound to continue, and guar gum, a vegetable-based product, stands a real chance at matching or even surpassing the popularity of its more artificial cousin, xanthan gum.
According to a report by Research Nester, the global guar gum market is estimated to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9% from 2021 to 2028 and reach a total revenue of USD 1,111.8 million. Such promising projections urge a closer look at guar gum and the factors contributing to its tremendous potential.
What is guar gum?
Guar gum is derived from the guar plant, a legume which has been cultivated in South Asia for centuries. In order to obtain guar gum, the plant’s seeds are dehusked, hydrated, milled, and screened. The production process typically results in an off-white-colored powder. India is the dominant force in the global guar gum market, accounting for roughly 80% of all output. The country is home to experienced growers and manufacturers like Neelkanth Polymers, a qualified seller on Ingredients Online, and a fourth-generation business based in the north-western city of Sardarshahr.
Guar gum vs. xanthan gum
Both guar gum and xanthan gum are powders and are more or less white in color. They are equally capable of serving a number of the same functions, such as lending stability to batter and dough. In gluten-free baking, guar gum and xanthan gum are able to mimic the protein structure otherwise provided by gluten. Both stabilize mixtures, prevent solid particles from gravitating toward the bottom, and keep oil droplets from sticking to each other and separating. Depending on the recipe, either of the two gums might be an acceptable ingredient. At times, the two might even complement each other when used together. Generally speaking, guar gum tends to lend itself more to cold foods such as ice-cream and pastry fillings while xanthan gum may be more commonly used for baked goods. However, as more and more people recognize guar gum’s many advantages, it seems to be growing in overall popularity.
The case for guar gum
Chief among guar gum’s noteworthy qualities is no doubt its usefulness to a variety of industries. For instance, it’s a prominent ingredient in numerous products for consumption by humans and non-humans, including bread and other baked goods, frozen foods such as ice-cream and frozen cakes, dressings and sauces, beverages, pet food, and more.
Guar gum also has a number of technical applications, ranging from its role as a component of paper and textiles to its important function in oil well drilling and mining.
The pharmaceutical field profits from guar gum's capacities as a binding and disintegrating agent in pills and its ability to help with the enclosing of key ingredients. Guar gum is also thought to provide direct medical benefits. In addition to potentially supporting the digestive system, it may assist with weight maintenance and help reduce blood sugar and cholesterol.
In the cosmetics and personal care industries, guar gum plays an important part in the consistency of toothpaste, shaving cream, other creams, and lotions.
Guar gum is found in several more fields, such as photography, cement production, and water treatment, to name only a few.
While impressive, guar gum’s flexibility is not the only reason the thickening and stabilizing agent is expanding its reputation as a highly desirable ingredient. Several other qualities seem to be equally key to catching the attention of consumers and supply-chain professionals.
Lower cost
As a result of the growing demand for guar gum as an ingredient in oil drilling applications, guar gum prices have fluctuated somewhat over the past few years. Nonetheless, a November 2020 article by Guar Resources considers guar gum “the most efficient and most cost-effective thickening agent on the market today,” reporting its price as five USD less for an eight-ounce package compared to xanthan gum.
Longer shelf life
While xanthan gum can last indefinitely if properly warehoused in dry form, it has a limited shelf life and may begin to work less well after its expiration date. Guar gum’s properties can remain intact for 12 to 18 years, and even longer by way of adding preservatives.
Cleaner, less processed, more ethically sourced
Amid consumers’ growing demand for "cleaner” products, guar gum has a leg up on xanthan gum. While the guar gum powder offered by Neelkanth Polymers on Ingredients Online is halal, kosher, and organic, xanthan gum is primarily made from fermented corn, which is commonly genetically modified and thus rarely organic.
Xanthan gum is a more artificial thickening and stabilizing agent, chemicals used in the production process are also more likely to cause an unpleasant aftertaste.
Additionally, the guar plant offers benefits to its surrounding soil. Because it's a leguminous crop, it has the ability to grow nodules, which are found on the roots and enter into symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This ultimately makes the soil more fertile.
But Neelkanth Polymers is taking its goal of being a force for good even one step further. On 200 acres of desert land, the company has set up solar panels to produce green electricity for its plants. It’s a fact that will come as a surprise to many, but not to anyone familiar with Neelkanth Polymers and its deeply held values.
About Neelkanth Polymers
Neelkanth Polymers is one of the largest exporters of guar gum in India. Founded over seven decades ago as a joint family business by Shri Sukhlal Jaisansaria, the company has grown over four generations and today supplies its products to 25 countries. Quality and dependability are among the core values which have made Neelkanth Polymers into a true industry leader with many loyal customers around the globe.
Neelkanth Polymers operates two guar gum manufacturing plants. They’re strategically located in the city of Sardarshahr, which is in a part of the state of Rajasthan where some of the finest guar crops on earth and about 45% of the world’s total output originate. Neelkanth Polymers’ warehouse boasts an extensive storing capacity, holding up to 35,000 metric tons of raw material and derivatives.
While Neelkanth Polymers pursues a vision of research, development, innovation, and improvement, it prides itself on doing so in an ethically responsible manner. Emphasizing full control at every stage of production, the company creates a range of different guar gum products, with several different formulations of its powder being available on Ingredients Online.
Conclusion:
Guar gum is rapidly becoming more and more popular as a stabilizing and thickening agent in a variety of industries. While guar gum’s expanding role can be partially attributed to the ingredient’s remarkable flexibility, it’s no doubt also based on other favorable factors, such as its cost-effectiveness, substantial shelf life, and “cleaner” components and production process. Last but not least, guar gum’s superior quality gives it an edge both in gluten-free cooking and with cold foods such as ice cream and pastry fillings.
With consumer demand for guar gum powder on the rise, now is the time for supply-chain members to take full advantage of market trends by connecting with experienced, qualified manufacturers such as Neelkanth Polymers.